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Vacation Scheme Diaries
- Thread starter Alice G
- Start date
I will be posting a couple of vac scheme diaries this week. For everyone who previously showed interest in writing up, are you guys still on board to do a brief write up? If not, it isn't a problem at all but I am keen to try and get things out by the end of the month so people can start to prep for summer schemes and for those writing TC apps 
I know that some of you who did express an interest have summer schemes and did not partake in the spring bout of schemes so don't worry
I know that some of you who did express an interest have summer schemes and did not partake in the spring bout of schemes so don't worry Kicking us off, a huge thank you to an incredible member of our community who wrote this up for us. It is in a slightly different style to the one posted but it contains a bucket load of useful info and guidance for future vacation scheme participants. Again, a massive thank you to this member for a truly wonderful write up. if you guys like this format or want to see an element of it added to my template please give me a shout on here by commenting and i shall be sure to include it!!
How did you find the Shearman & Sterling vacation scheme?
I really enjoyed the vacation scheme at Shearman, but I was really lucky with my seat placements and generally just super excited to be there.
Everyone is super friendly and actually a number of departments have some form of weekly social activity (for example, their PDF team has an infamous Friday ‘beer fridge’). They are also happy to answer any questions and assist generally with your learning and development - numerous personnel took time out of their day to discuss certain tasks and topics with me. This meant that it was quite a sociable experience.
The HR team also arrange various socials throughout the two weeks – a mix of vacation scheme students only and vacation scheme students with HR and/or trainees. These were a great way to bond with fellow vac schemers as well as those at Shearman themselves. One was dinner at Duck & Waffle which was of course really exciting (and yum).
The workload was manageable but consisted of mainly research work. I enjoyed this however because I had to look into a broad mix of topics and got a taste of the variety of interesting work Shearman actually does. It was apparent that a number of tasks were for their benefit (i.e. had already been done before) so it was definitely more enjoyable and rewarding to do the tasks that were actually adding value to the firm/client.
What were the vacation scheme assessments like at Shearman & Sterling?
Hefty! There were four assessments:
What advice would you give to future vacation schemers attending the Shearman & Sterling vacation scheme?
Work is quite slow to come by - but of course everyone has actual work to get on with - so be active in looking for work without being too pushy or invasive of their time. This is a good way to talk to lots of different people, get a real feel for the team and the work they do, and also demonstrate your enthusiasm and capabilities.
Attention to detail is really key – if you have to, take longer to finish the work if that means you can double check it for any errors.
Make sure you absolutely know what the task requires of you including when it’s due and, if possible, the preference of the person who is setting the task in terms of how it is written/structured/etc. Different practice areas (and even different lawyers) have different preferences and Shearman want trainees who are adaptable and agile.
On average, what time did you arrive and leave each day?
9.30 am – 17.30 pm is their recommended leave time and they make an effort to tell you to go home/not put in face-time. Everyone generally stays a little later though.
How would you rate your overall vacation scheme experience?
5/5
How did you find the Shearman & Sterling vacation scheme?
I really enjoyed the vacation scheme at Shearman, but I was really lucky with my seat placements and generally just super excited to be there.
Everyone is super friendly and actually a number of departments have some form of weekly social activity (for example, their PDF team has an infamous Friday ‘beer fridge’). They are also happy to answer any questions and assist generally with your learning and development - numerous personnel took time out of their day to discuss certain tasks and topics with me. This meant that it was quite a sociable experience.
The HR team also arrange various socials throughout the two weeks – a mix of vacation scheme students only and vacation scheme students with HR and/or trainees. These were a great way to bond with fellow vac schemers as well as those at Shearman themselves. One was dinner at Duck & Waffle which was of course really exciting (and yum).
The workload was manageable but consisted of mainly research work. I enjoyed this however because I had to look into a broad mix of topics and got a taste of the variety of interesting work Shearman actually does. It was apparent that a number of tasks were for their benefit (i.e. had already been done before) so it was definitely more enjoyable and rewarding to do the tasks that were actually adding value to the firm/client.
What were the vacation scheme assessments like at Shearman & Sterling?
Hefty! There were four assessments:
- A case study written exercise.
- A group task which was follow up to the case study.
- A case study interview (completely separate topic from 1 & 2 – this looked at a particular deal that Shearman had done).
- A partner interview.
What advice would you give to future vacation schemers attending the Shearman & Sterling vacation scheme?
Work is quite slow to come by - but of course everyone has actual work to get on with - so be active in looking for work without being too pushy or invasive of their time. This is a good way to talk to lots of different people, get a real feel for the team and the work they do, and also demonstrate your enthusiasm and capabilities.
Attention to detail is really key – if you have to, take longer to finish the work if that means you can double check it for any errors.
Make sure you absolutely know what the task requires of you including when it’s due and, if possible, the preference of the person who is setting the task in terms of how it is written/structured/etc. Different practice areas (and even different lawyers) have different preferences and Shearman want trainees who are adaptable and agile.
On average, what time did you arrive and leave each day?
9.30 am – 17.30 pm is their recommended leave time and they make an effort to tell you to go home/not put in face-time. Everyone generally stays a little later though.
How would you rate your overall vacation scheme experience?
5/5
Hi everyone, here is the thread where we will be posting the vac diaries so that people can access them directly and with greater ease than they might do in this thread. Thank you again for all your support! The one being posted today is quite long so don't be fazed by that - anything you guys can contribute will be exceptionally helpful!
https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....official-vacation-scheme-diaries-thread.1430/
https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....official-vacation-scheme-diaries-thread.1430/
Hiya, I was just wondering if anyone had done a VS at Mishcon de Reya? I would really appreciate it if you could give me a message if you have. Thanks!
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